Polarizers, such as wire grid polarizers for example, typically have long, thin ribs disposed on a substrate. The ribs, and spacing between the ribs, can be significantly smaller than a wavelength of incoming light. For example, rib width, and spacing between ribs for a visible light polarizer can be around 70 nanometers. A length of the ribs, however, can be very long, such as several millimeters or several centimeters.
These polarizers, therefore, can have long, narrow channels. Fluids can easily wick up into these channels due to capillary action. Such fluids can substantially degrade polarizer performance. A typical source of such fluids is from human hands. During handling, natural oils on people's hands can wick up into the polarizer channels, resulting in degraded polarizer performance. Another source of such fluids is condensation along edges of a holder, or condensation during storage. This condensation can also result in degraded polarizer performance. It would be beneficial to allow handling, clamping, or storage of polarizers without the problem of oils, water, or other fluids, wicking up into polarizer channels.